Chapter 220: The Duels (2)

Mammon was no ordinary opponent. Among the demons who made the arduous crossing from the Demon Realm to the Yuashiel Dimension, he stood at the top.

"I knew he was strong, but it still surprises me every time," Kim Ki-Rok muttered with a wry smile, watching Mammon bat a Hunter aside with a casual swat.

Kim Ki-Rok slipped a dagger from his sleeve and crouched low, closing the distance quietly.

"You're finally here," Mammon said, turning to greet him with a smile.

"

Haha...

" Kim Ki-Rok let out an awkward laugh, then kicked off the ground and shot forward.

He intended to close the gap before Mammon could swing his demonic sword. Mammon could have blocked his approach with a mere swipe or a kick, but instead, out of respect, he chose to meet Kim Ki-Rok's charge with his sword.

"Blink!"

Forced to put the Pastera dagger back into his subspace pocket, Kim Ki-Rok immediately teleported to dodge the incoming strike. He'd expected Mammon to counter with a punch or a kick, giving him a chance to land a blow with his dagger, but a measured swing caught him off-guard. This was unlike the demon he remembered, who had cautiously used his sword to keep him at a distance.

Slightly unsettled, Kim Ki-Rok quickly reviewed how this fight had unfolded in each of his previous Attempts. "Ah... can I ask you something, Sir Mammon?"

"Hm, what is it?" Mammon answered, still polite.

"Have you been training since we last met?"

"That's right, I have."

"Aha..."

So he was preparing this whole time... Where did I go wrong?

Kim Ki-Rok wondered.

He hadn't changed anything in his approach to these duels. Even his actions and words were at least ninety-nine percent the same as in previous Attempts.

It must be because of the Continental Alliance's counterattack,

he

realized.

The difference in the timeline where Mammon simply waited for the duel and the one where he had trained was all due to the Continental Alliance's counterattack. More specifically, it was because more Hunters could support the counterattack thanks to the permanent Gate.

Kim Ki-Rok had worked hard to increase the number of Hunters eligible to clear the final Gate to Hell. He had saved Hunters who would have otherwise died and nurtured promising ones, helping them grow much faster than before.

That's why things have changed so much,

he thought.

Thanks to his efforts, there were more Hunters now, and their abilities had improved far beyond what they should have been at this point. Compared to his previous Attempts, more were skilled enough to pass through the permanent Gate and aid the Continental Alliance.

"They might not have known who their opponents would be, but after watching the Hunters take part in the war and grow so quickly, the demons got excited and decided to train as they waited for the duels... something like that?" Kim Ki-Rok mused aloud.

"That's correct," Mammon confirmed with a smile. With a swing of his sword, he sent another charging Hunter flying, then turned back to lock eyes with Kim Ki-Rok. "Because of our agreement, all Greater Demons went into seclusion and abstained from the war. But observing the battlefield through magic, we saw your Hunters growing stronger at a staggering pace. The powers you wielded appeared formidable as well."

"So that's why you trained?" Kim Ki-Rok sighed.

"Yes. We needed something to occupy ourselves. Otherwise, we'd have been tempted to break our oath and rush into battle."

"Ahh."

So, the demons hadn't trained out of fear, but to manage the restless excitement they felt as they awaited the duels. Either way, the demons had grown even stronger.

"This is just the worst," Kim Ki-Rok muttered, before recalling another detail. "By the way, does that apply to the Intermediate Demons as well?"

Mammon shook his head. "No. The agreement only restricted the Greater Demons from fighting in the war."

"Thank goodness." He breathed, visibly relieved.

At least some of them hadn't spent all this time training, since they'd been wandering the battlefield looking for entertainment. Eased by that knowledge, Kim Ki-Rok smiled and reached into his subspace pocket, equipping both a longsword and a dagger.

It's impossible to block his blows head-on

, he immediately assessed.

He wanted a shield, but while Pastera was exceptionally mana-resistant, it was also heavy and dense. A shield made from it would hamper his ability to dodge. And with Mammon's increased power after his training, evasion was far safer than direct defense.

Kim Ki-Rok exhaled sharply and loosened his wrists. Flipping his dagger into a reverse grip, he crouched low, eyes fixed on Mammon. The instant the demon's attention flicked toward two Hunters charging in again, Kim Ki-Rok launched himself forward.

Mammon deflected the incoming ax with a swing of his sword, then extended his free hand to intercept another Hunter's sword strike. Smiling, Mammon tossed both the sword and its wielder into the air. The Hunter's body tumbled directly into Kim Ki-Rok's path. He could have caught him or slowed the fall with a spell, but he didn't bother. Instead, Kim Ki-Rok vaulted off the ground, clearing the airborne Hunter and closing the gap in a single bound.

When Kim Ki-Rok's Pastera longsword and reverse-gripped dagger struck Mammon's demonic sword, there was no burst of mana, only a spray of sparks from metal on metal that were quickly extinguished as Kim Ki-Rok was hurled backward. Though his attack had failed, getting close allowed him to check Mammon's current condition.

Our weapons should still work,

he noted.

Mammon had caught a Pastera longsword with his bare hand before. Even though it was coated in aura, Pastera's mana resistance had broken through, leaving blue blood seeping from the demon's palm.

The real problem is his demonic sword,

Kim Ki-Rok realized.

Despite several clashes with Pastera weapons, Mammon's blade showed no sign of wear.

"It seems destroying that demonic sword might be impossible," Kim Ki-Rok muttered thoughtfully.

***

An ax met a hammer with a resounding crash.

The Greater Demon wielding the ax was sent flying, tumbling across the ground. After several rolls, he regained his feet, laughing heartily.

"Are you... really a human?" the demon asked.

Each Greater Demon had been matched against a team of five Hunters. Normally, such teams were built around three or four close-combat specialists with one or two ranged or support Hunters mixed in. But the squad facing the demon Yeqon was different.

Only one of them fought up close. The other four specialized in ranged attacks, striking from a distance and providing cover. At first, Yeqon thought this lineup strange, but after that lone close-combat Hunter closed the distance in a blur and forced him into a direct clash, his view quickly changed.

"Hey," Yeqon called out to the hammer-wielding Hunter.

"Yeah?" The Hunter tilted his head as he pulled an onigiri from a subspace pocket.

"What's your name?"

"Jeong Man-Kook."

"Are you sure you're human?"

"I'm human."

"Not a half-blood or quarter-blood ogre, orc, or troll?"

"Nope."

Jeong Man-Kook shook his head, shoved the rest of the onigiri into his mouth, and hefted his hammer. With no more words to exchange, he charged straight ahead. Though strength often came at the cost of speed, Jeong Man-Kook had both in overwhelming measure. With his hammer raised high, he moved faster than most could react.

Yeqon briefly thought of dodging, but dismissed the idea at once. If he tried to evade, the four ranged Hunters waiting behind Jeong Man-Kook would rain arrows down on him. He could still feel the sting of the last one that had punched through his Aura Armor and embedded itself in his flesh.

Unwilling to take the risk, Yeqon braced himself and swung his ax against the hammer. The clash sent him flying, his strength no match for Jeong Man-Kook's raw power. Using the recoil to his advantage, he quickly assessed his own condition as he tumbled back.

If he could use teleportation magic freely, he would have eliminated the four ranged Hunters in an instant before turning his full attention to Jeong Man-Kook. But the Pastera arrowhead lodged in his body continued to disrupt his mana flow, making that impossible.

"

Tsk!

" Yeqon clicked his tongue in frustration as he rolled to a stop.

He quickly looked up. Jeong Man-Kook was already charging, though there was still some distance between them. Yeqon lifted his ax in defense, then shoved his other hand into the wound. With a brutal yank, he ripped the barbed arrowhead free, tearing out a chunk of flesh with it.

With his mana now flowing, Yeqon instantly cast Blink and vanished in a burst of black light. In response, Jeong Man-Kook put away his hammer and cast Blink as well. He hadn't paused to locate the demon's destination, since it was clear whom he was aiming for.

Jeong Man-Kook materialized behind his team, just as Yeqon emerged mid-swing. With no time to ready a weapon, he caught the ax with his aura-wrapped hand, then drove his head forward in a bone-crunching headbutt.

Yeqon's head snapped back under the impact, though he didn't seem to mind. "

Hahaha!

"

He hadn't expected the headbutt, but realizing his opponent was unarmed, Yeqon immediately countered. With a crack, he returned the headbutt. Their foreheads pressed together as the two glared into each other's eyes. Jeong Man-Kook was scowling, while Yeqon was gleaming with excitement.

His teammates called out from behind.

"Mr. Man-Kook!"

"Sir Man-Kook!"

Jeong Man-Kook yanked on Yeqon's ax, pulling the demon off-balance, and in that instant, all four Hunters fired their arrows. Unable to match his raw power, Yeqon's upper body was dragged forward. He immediately extended his senses with demonic mana, searching for the arrows and the Hunters' positions, trying to think of a way out.

He'd already realized his usual defenses were useless against these arrows. If he took another hit from their mana-resistant arrowheads, his ability to use magic would be crippled again, and fighting Jeong Man-Kook in that state would be suicide.

"Iron Shield!" Yeqon shouted.

Ordinary defensive magic couldn't withstand those arrows, so he resorted to a spell infused with elemental power. Channeling mana from the Demon Realm, he summoned a black shield—unlike the usual silver one—that surged up from the ground and intercepted the arrows just in time.

"So I found the right answer..." Yeqon breathed in relief.

The three physical elements earth, stone, and metal were needed to defend against these strange, mana-resistant arrows. But just as a small smile formed on his lips, Jeong Man-Kook's head crashed into his own again.

"There's... really no right answer for you, is there?" Yeqon groaned.

***

Once again, Kim Ki-Rok was knocked back by the demonic sword as he tried to close in. Dropping to one knee, he sheathed his blades and drew a bow instead. Still kneeling, he nocked an arrow in one fluid motion and waited for the right moment.

A sudden shout rang out from behind. The demon turned to see an ax-bearing Hunter rushing at him and swatted the attack aside, sending the Hunter flying. Just as he finished, a sharp whistle cut through the air. He twisted his body, the arrow grazing past his side. He'd already noticed the kneeling figure switch to a bow, so the shot's origin was obvious.

"You really do—"

Mammon cut himself off, spinning to raise his sword just in time to block another strike. Back on his feet, his opponent had closed the gap, this time wielding a polearm.

"Know how to use a lot of weapons."

"That's the Hunter's way," Kim Ki-Rok replied, smiling as he was pushed back again. He put away the polearm and picked another weapon, waiting for the right opportunity to come.

Mammon was unusual among demons, a swordsmanship enthusiast who preferred the blade to magic. While he could use household spells and the demon specialty, teleportation magic, that was the limit of his abilities. Kim Ki-Rok knew an opening would appear.

"Blink." Mammon disappeared in a flash of black light.

"Now, where will he show up next?" Kim Ki-Rok wondered, eyes narrowed.

Would he go for the ax-wielder? The spearman? The support in the rear? No, Kim Ki-Rok knew his target too well. Mammon's focus was relentless.

Spinning on his heel, he drew a mace and swung it in a crushing arc behind him. The sharp ring of steel resounded as he caught the descending blade. Since the strike had come from above, he dropped to one knee to absorb the impact rather than be thrown back. Holding the mace overhead, he lifted his gaze to meet his opponent's eyes.

"Allow me to ask you a question," Mammon said suddenly.

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "Go ahead."

"If I let you live, will I be able to enjoy a duel like this again someday?" Mammon asked.

Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "No."

Mammon raised an eyebrow. "You're certain?"

"I am," Kim Ki-Rok replied firmly. "Because I intend to end it all

here.

"